Freight-car door



Dec. y11, 1923. 1,477,055

. J. L. GUERRANT.

FREIGHT CAR DOOR Dec. 11 1923.

J. L. GUERRANT FREIGHT CAR DOOR l Dec. 11, i923.

J. l.. GUERRANT FREIGHT CAR DOOR i h et-S Filed May 23 J. L. GUERRANT FREIGHT CAR Doon Filed May 23. 1921 9 sheets-sheet 4 Dec. 11, 1923.

Dec. 11,1923. 1,477,055

J. l.. GUERRANT FREIGH'' JAR Doon FiledMay 23. 1921 9 sheets-sheet, 5

U. L @afan/wvl;

Dec. 11 1923.

J. L.'GUERRANT FREIGHT GAR DOOR 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 25. 1921 l J. l.. GUERRANT FREIGHT CAR DOOR Filed M y 23 ll [6;]

Dec. 1 1

9 Sheets-Sheet 7 /o www Z Q"IO Dec J. L.. FREIGHT CAR DOOR ,l i4 .I m Z l'. OU O wf E 5 1 a; e@ u 7 1 m I Z I WW m w o 0 M 6 7 m 3 0 0 w 1 m o 7 1 2 a w w a 0 W w o m Z @E .u S gou?! fwowoml m.. 0 A4] 0 @SMM qu a 8 w w W iw U 'IW f w 5 M .o 2 7 zo Y 7 7 1 w 7. I

Izzo

Dec. 11,1923. J. L. GUERRANT FREIGHT CAR DOOR Sheet 9 Patented Der.. 1l, i923.

Aralar orFicE.

JOHN L. GUERRANT, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI.

FREIGHT-CAR DOOR. Y

Application led May 23,

To (4Q/Z whom t may concern Be it known that l, JOHN L. GUnRRAN'r, a citizen o1" the United States, residing at friedalia, in the county of Pettis and Statel 'ot Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Freight-Car Doors,

of which the following is a specification,

reference being had ther-ein to the accompanying drawing. 5

rhe present invention relates to freight car doors, andis particularly an improvement over the freight car doors disclosed in my copending application filed Nov. 22, 1920, Serial No. 425,782. It is the object of the invention to provide a freight car door having auxiliary doors to facilitate the filling of the car withV main door to the door frame or car wall, for

holding the main door tightly closed, and preventing the escape of grain, sand, or other contents. without the necessity of using an inner grain door as customary, and to also exclude dirt, dust, rain, air and the like, from the car.

The invention also has for an object to improve the construction generally and in its details, to enhance the utility and elficiency thereof.

Y- lith the foregoing and other objects in view, which willloe apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in thev construction and arrangement of parts heref inafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a face view of the improvedV door construction.

Figs. .2, 3 and 4 are horizontal sections i921. semaine. 471,888.

takenfon the respective section lines 2 2, 3 3 and 4 4 of Fig. 1; f

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are vertical sections taken on the respective lines: 5 5, 6 6, 7 7 and 8 8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary face view of the latch bar and one of the keepers l showing the har 'in raised position; f

Fig. 10 is 'an edgev view of the latch bar and keeper, as seenV in Fig. 9; l

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 showingthe latch bar in lowered position;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to F ig. 7 showing a modification in the upper auxiliary.`

door construction;

Fig. 13 is a face view showing a modified form of locking and sealing device;

Fig. 14 is a face view of a modified form of door construction;

Figs. 15, 16 and 17 are enlarged sectional views taken on the respective section linesV 15 15, 16 16 and 17 17 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged face view of one of' the latching and clamping devices kof the main door shown in Fig. 14, showing the latch in released position in full lines, and in another position vin dotted lines;

Fig. 19 is a vertical section of thelatching l device, taken on the line -19 19jof Fig. 20-

showing they parts in latching position;

Fig. 20 is a section on the line .20-20 of Fig. 19;

Fig. 21 is a section Fig. 18. n

The door frame comprises, as usual, the sill 14, and the posts 15 and'16 at the opposite sidesY of `the door opening,and the main car door 17, as shown, is composed of two layers of wood, although itfcanbe of metal, cornbination wood'and metal or other lsuitalole construction. The `door is suspended for longitudinal movement along the exterior of on the 1ine21 21 of the car wall from agsuitalole track 18 exl tending over the doorway or opening. v

The door 17 and the door frame are provided with means to i'it them tightly together for preventing leakage and also eX- cluding the elements from the car. Thus,

, a metal plate 18 is secured to the outer side of the door 17 along the lower edge or end thereof, and projects downwardly beyondsaid edge of the door', as seen in Fig. 5. A channel strip 19 has its outer flangeoverlapping and secured t0 the lower edge portion of the plate 18, and forms a hook which. er;- tends under and behind a depending flange 20 odset outwardly from a rail plate or strip 21 secured to the outer side of the car wall and sill, The offset portion of the strip 21 extends below the door 17, and said door moves over said o'set portion, and the hook or channel 19 in engaging under and behind the flange 20 will guide the door 17 and maintain it in position adjacent to the car wall. When the door 17 is in closed position, the lower edge thereof is clamped in place, and for this purpose, outstanding stud bolts 22 are carried by the sill 14, under the rail'strip 21, and nuts 23 are threaded on said bolts to bear against the channel or hook 19, when said nuts are screwed inwardly, to thereby press the lower edge portion of the door against the plate or strip 21.

Avvertical metal strip or 4plate 24 is secured to the outer side of the door post 16 and hasa portion 25 bent outwardly at an angle to form a stop for the door, against which the forward vertical side edge of the door 17 strikes when said door is slid to closed position. The portion 25 has a flange 26-bent at an angle to overlap said portion of the door, and forming a vertical groove or channel into which said portion of the door moves, to hold the door against the post 16 and to prevent leakage.

A vertical strip 27 is secured tothe forward vertical edge portion of the door 17, to move behind the flange 26 and to abut the stop portion 25, and tongues'28 project from the strip 27 to pass through slots or openings 28 in the portion 25 when the door is closed. Said tongues 28 have the open slots 29 to receive clamping bolts 30 carried by the car wall adjacent to the posts 16, whereby when the door is closed, the tongnes 28 thereby move in to engagement with the bolts 30, and said bolts can be tightened for clamping the forward edge portion of the door against the plate 24, to prevent leakage.

A. vertical'Z-bar or strip 31 is secured to the opposite or rear vertical edge of the door and outer side thereof, and has a flange 32 extending from said edge of the door adj acent to the inner side of such door. A vertical plate or strip 34 is secured to the post 15 at the outer side thereof, against which the rear edge portion of the door 17 bears when closed, and said plate 34 has tongues or keepers 35 projecting from that edge opposite to the door opening to pass through openings 33 provided in the strip 31, so that when the door is closed, the strip 31 will move over the keepers 35, which project through the openings 33 in front of the flange 32.

In order to latch the door 17 in closed position and to clamp the rear edge portion. thereof against the plate 34, a vertical latch bar 36 is slidable longitudinally of itself in guides 37 secured to the front side of the flange 32, and said bar 36 moved behind the ref-pers 35 when the door 17 is closed. The bar 36 has hooks 38 to move over the keepers 35, and to be moved'downwardly int-o engagement with said keepers, and below the hooks the bar 36 has cams 39 which move behind the keepers when the hooks 38 are moved downwardly into engagement with said keepers. rEhe cams 39 will therefore shift the bar 36 toward the car wall, thereby pushing the flange 32 and rear edge portion of the door toward the car wall and clamping the door 17 against the plate 34 on the post 15.` TWhen the latch bar is moved downwardly to latching position, the lower ond of said bar is secured to the flange 32 by means of a bolt 40, and said flange has a bolt hole 41 highernp, for the reception of the bolt-40 for holding the latch bar in raised or releasing position. The keepers have upstanding' lugs 42 to prevent'the hooks 38Afrom sliding olf of said keepers, thereby holding the main door .17 in closed position when the latch bar 36 is down.

The auxiliary doors 43 and 44 are composed of metal, as shown, and are for the purpose of closing, respectively', an upper filling opening 45 in the door 17, near the upper end or edge of the door, and a lower discharging opening 46 near the lower end or edge of the door 17 with its lower edge preferably flush with the sill 14.

In order to mount the relief door 44 across the opening 46, the door 17 is provided along the lower edge of the opening 46 with a groove 47 behind the upper edge'of the plate 18, into which groove the lower edge of the door 44 can move downwardly. The door' 17 has a groove 48 at the upper edge of the opening 46 behind a channel member 49 secured to the outer side of the door 17 above said opening, for receiving the upper edge of said door 44, and a second channel member 50 is secured to the door 17 above the channel member 49 for purpose of reinforcement. Hinge straps 51 extend downwardly to overlap the door 44, and their upper ends are hinged, as at 52,

to the member 49 and are offset, as at 53,

whereby said straps can bear flatly against the door 44. Guides 54 are secured to the outer side of the door 44, to receive the straps 51, and to support the door 44 for sliding movement on said straps. Stop screws are removably secured to the lower terminals of the straps to limit the sliding movement of the' door 44 on said straps when the door is opened, and when said screws are removed the door Vcan be slid off said straps. An' offset lip 56 is secured to the door 44 near the lower edge thereof to overlap the upper edge of the plate 18 opposite to the door 44, said upper edge of the plate 18 being preferably bent outwardly, as at 57.

A metal frame is secured to the door 17 around the filling opening 45, and has an outturned portion 59 at the upper edge of the opening with an upstanding flange 60 forming a hook, and the side portions of the frame 58 have similar hook portions 61. rThe lower portion of the frame 58 has an outturnedportion 62 with an upstanding` flange 63 forming a hook or channel similar to the one above. f rlhe upper edge portion of the door 43 is bent backwardly and downwardly to form a hook 64 to move downwardly behind the flange 60, andr vertical angle bars 65 are secured to the inner side of the door 43 at the vertical edges thereof to move into overlapping relat-ion with the portions 61 at those sides thereof opposite to the opening 45. An offset strip 66 is secured to the door 43 near the lower edge thereofto move downwardly 4behind the flange 63, with the lower edge portion of said door overlapping said flange on the outer side thereof. Thus, when the door 43 is placed.` against the frame 58 in a slightly raised position, it can drop downwardly into engagement with said frame, the hook 64 engaging behind the flange 60 and the strip 66moving down behind the flange 63, while the bars 65A overlap the portions 61 to provide a tight fit all around, to prevent leakage.

The door 43 is hingedly suspended simi` lar to the lower door 44. Thus, depending hinge straps 67 overlap the door 43, and their upper ends are hinged, asiat 68, to the door 17 above the door 43 and opening 45. Guides 69'are secured tothe outer side of the door 43 and are slidable on the straps 67, and removable stop screws 70 are secured to the lower terminals of the straps 67 to limit the sliding movement of the door on said straps. The door 43 can be raised out of engagement from the flanges 60 and 63, to swing open outwardly. The door 43 can also be slid downwardly off of the straps 67 when the screws 70 are removed, when it is desired to allow the door 43 to drop down out of the way,as when it cannot be swung completely open when adjacent to a building or other obstruction. The door 43 can be anchored to the door 17, to'prevent loss of the door 43, and, forthis purpose, chains or yother flexible connections 71 are provided between the lower edge portion of the door 42 and thedoor 17 below the opening 45.

In order to prevent the doors 43 andV 44 from being opened, a pair of vertical bars 72 and 73 are hingedly mounted to swing against and overlap the right and left hand ends, respectively, of said doors. Said bars 72 and 73 are secured to hinge straps 74, which are hinged' as at 75 to the door 17 adjacent to the Yside edges thereof, whereby said bars are swingable'about vertical axes away from and against the auxiliary doors. Stops 76 are secured to the bars 72 and 73 to more over and contact with the upper ends of vertical angle bars or cleats 77 secured to the outer side of the door 44 near the ends thereof, whereby to prevent the-door 44 from being raised out Vof the groove 47, and

wooden bars or cleats 78 are secured to the rear side of the bars 72 and 73 to bear against the door 17 between the doors 43 and 44, and prevent said 'bars 72 and 73 from being bent out of shape should objects strike saine between the auxiliary doors. Stops 7 9 are also secured to the inner sides of the bars 72 and 73 near the upper ends thereof to extend over the upper edge of the move downwardly over the upper ends ofr said bars, in order to hold said bars in place, and said rings can be lifted upwardly olf of the'bars for releasing the saine.

The lower ends of the bars 72 and 73 are also held against the. door 17 and, for this purpose, the plate 18 has horizontal slots 83,` and the bars 72 and 73 and lower hinge straps 74 have open .horizontalslots 84 to register with the slots 83, and said slots 83 and 84 have downwardly extending terminals 85 between the edges ofthe bars 72 and 73. Headed latch pins 86 are slidable in the slots 83, and when the bars 72 and 73 are swung against the auxiliary doors, the latch pins 86 can Ibe slid into the slots 84 to drop into the terminalsl or notches 85, and said latch pins will therefore hold lthe lower terminals ofvsaid bars against the, door 17. By raising therpins 86 they can be slid out ofthe slots r84 and into the extended portions of the slots 83, thereby releasing the lower terminals of said bars.. .Y

In order to hold the main and auxiliary doorsclosed under a single seal.- a horizontal latch bar 87 is slidable in guides 88 on the outer side of the door 17 between the auxiliary'doors, and has an offset terminal 89 to overlap the bar 72 when thebar 87 is slid` towardA said bar 72. An arm 90 is pivoted within a bearing 91 secured to the door 17 near vthe bar 73,v to swing across said bar 73. The arm 90 and bar 87 are made to simultaneously engage the bars 72 and 73 by the provision of gear teeth 92 on the pvoted end of the arm 90 meshing within lli) the rack teeth 93 on the bar 87. Consequently, when the arm. 90 is swung away from the bar 73 the bar 87 is slid away from the bar 72, and when the arm 9() .is swung against the bar 73, the latch bar 87 is projected into engagement with the bar 72. sealing hasp 94 is suitably connected to the free end portion ot the arm 90 toL engage over a keeper 95 carried by the car wall beyond the stop portion 25, for the reception of a seal, padlock, or the like, to'hold the doors closed against unwarranted entrance into the car for purpose of theft.

in using the present door construction, the main door 17 is slid to closed position, thereby bringing the forward -vertical edge portion thereof aga-inst the stop 'portion 25 behind the flange 26, and the keepers 35 will also project through the openings 33, with the latch bar 36 moved behind said keepers. The tongues 28 are also moved through tl openings 28 in the stop portion 25 to engage the bolts 30, and said bolts are then tightened to clamp the forward edge portion of the door against the plate 24 of the post 16. The nuts 23 are also tightened 'to clamp the lower edge portion of the door against the sill, and by' sliding the latch bar 36 downwardly, the cams 39 move behind the keepers 35 and will clamp the. rear edge portion of the door against the plate 34 of the post 15. The main door 17 is now closed tightly against the door frame along the side and lower edges of the main door,-

to prevent leakage of grain, sand, or other similar material from the car, and to also exclude the elements from the door opening, so as to protect the contents. The lower auxiliary door 44 is then swung inwardly with the straps 51, to move the upper edge thereof into the groove 48, and said door is then slid upwardly to pass over the plate 18, and is then slid downwardly to movel the lower edge of the door 44 into theI groove 47, whereby said door 44 will bear outwardly at its upper and lower edges against the channel member 49 and upper edge of the pla-te 18, respectively, to prevent leakage, and to resist outward pressure against said door 44.

The bolts 55 are then applied, which will prevent the door 44 from sliding olf the straps 51 when the door is opened later on. Then, with the door 43 swung open upwardl or removed from the straps 67, the material can be run into the car through the filling opening 45, and a chute can be inserted through said openingv for delivering the material into the car. `When the car is iilled, and the door 43 slipped onto the straps 67, said door is swung inwardly and while in raised position on the straps 67 is moved against the frame 58, and then droppedto move the hook 64 and strip 66 behind the flanges 60 and 63, respectively. This will form a tight closurev of. the door 43 and will alsol resist outward pressure against said door. The bolts 70 are then applied to prevent the door 43 from sliding off the straps 67, and the bars 72 and 73 are swung to overlap the end portions of the auxiliaryk doors 43 and 44. rEhe latch rings 82 are moved down on the upper ends of said bars 72and 73, and the latch pins 86are moved into the slots 84, thereby fastening the upper and lower ends of said bars to the door 17. The arm 96 is then swung across the bar 73, thereby slidingy the latch bar 87 to move the offset terminal 89 thereof over the bar 72, and the hasp 94 is then secured to the keeper 95 by the usual seal, padlock, or the like. Consequently, the main door 17 is not only held closed under the seal or lock, but the bars 72 and 7 3 are also held in place under such seal or lock, so that the oars cannot be swung away from the auxiliary doors. Consequently, the auxiliary doors cannot be opened without breaking the seal or lock, unless the required key-for the lock is used.

The doors 17, 43 and 44 are therefore held tightly closed, and will be firmly held in place, to resist the pressure of the contents from within the car, and to also withstand the ostling of boxes, bundles or other objects behind the door, when the door is used for ordinary freight When it is desired to discharge the sand, grain, or other similar material from the car, the hasp 94 is first released from the keeper 95, thereby permitting the arm 90 to be swung away from the bar 73 and retracting the latch bar 87. Then, by disengaging the latch rings 82 and the latch pins 86 from the bars 72 and 73, said bars can be swung away from one another and away from the doors 43 and 44. The door 44 can now be raised and the lower `edge lifted out of the groove 47, to swing said door 44 open outwardly to pass over the plate 18, in which event the door can be slid downwardly to move out of the groove 48, lf desired, thedoor 44 can be slid oft the hinge straps 51 by removing the screws 55, if said door 44 is in the way or cannot be swung upwardly, as when the car is directly adjacent to a building or other object. The auxiliary door 43 can also be opened, if desired, for purpose of access into the car before the main door 17 is opened. When the door 43 is slid upwardly out of engagement from and nuts 23 are loosened and the bolt 40 is Y* removed to enable the latch bar 36 to be raised, thereby releasing the side and lower edges of the door 17 from the door frame, and the door 17 can now be slid open, the latch hooks 3S passing over the lugs 42.

In Fig. 12 there is shown an upper auxiliary door construction of modified form, resembling the lower auxiliary door 44 as hereinbefore described. Thus, the door 17 has a groove 47 at the lower edge of the filling opening 45 behind a channel member 180 secured to the outer side of the door 17 to receive the lower edge of the door 43. The door 17 has a groove 43 at the upper edge of the opening 45 to receive the upper edge of the door 43 behind a channel member 49 secured to the door 17 in front of said groove 48. An. offset strip 56 is carried by the door 43 near its lower edge to move in front of the upper edge portion of the member 180. The door 43 has guides 69 fitted on the hinge straps 67 which are hinged at their upper ends, as at 68, to the channel member 49 above the opening 45 and said straps have the stop screws 70. Chains or Hexible elements 71 connect the door 43 and member 180, to prevent the loss of the door 43 when it is removed from the hinge straps 67. The door 43 is closed similarly to the door 44, the upper edge of the door 43 moving into the grooves 48 and the door 43 is lowered to move the lower edge thereof into the groove 47 after the door 43 has been moved inwardly across the member 180. Vertical angle bars or cleats 77 (one of which is shown in Fig.' 12) are secured to the door 43, similar to the cleats 77 of the door 44, for the engagement of stops 79 on the bars 72 and 73, for holding the door 43 down when said bars are swung against the auxiliary doors and fastened.

Fig. 13 shows a modified device for hold-` ing` the bars 72 and 73 and door 17 under a seal. the guides 88 on the outer side of the door 17 and has the terminal 89 to engage over the bar 72, similar to the latch bar 87 hereinbefore described. An arm 90 ispivoted, as at 91 to the door 17, and swings upwardly and downwardly away from and across the bar 7 3, respectively. The arm 90v has an extension 92 connected by the link 93 with the bar 87', whereby when the arm 90 is swung across the bar 73, the link 93 pushes the latch bar 87 into engagement with the bar 72, and when the arm 90 is swung away from the bar 7 3, the link 93 pulls the bar 87 to retracted position, thereby simultaneously engaging and releasing the bars 72 and 73. A hasp 94 is hinged to the free end of the arm 90 to engage the keeper 95, and a keeper 96 is preferably carried by the door 17 behind which the arm 90 moves when swung across the bar 7 3, to

Thus, a latch bar 87 is slidable in from the door.

In the construction shown in Figs.` ,14 toV 21, inclusive, the main car door 170 is-shown as composed of two layers of wood, the

cally, -while the boards 172 of the inner layer extend horizontally. In order to reenfo'rce and sti'en the door 17 0,-bars 173 lof I section are disposed between the edges of the boards 172, as seen in F ig. 15, and the edges of said boards are fitted within said bars. Channel bars 174 are fitted on the edges of the boards 172 adjacent to the openings inthe car door 170, and the bars 17 3 and 174 being of metal will stien the door, as well as protecting the edges of the boards on the inner or rear surface of the door where subjected to the wear and tear from t-he contents of the car. The door 170 is suspended for longitudinal movement along the exterior of the car wall from a suitable track 181.'

A metal plate 180 is secured to the outer side of the door 17 0 along the lower edge or end thereof, and projects downwardly below said edge of the door, as seenin Fig. 15, and the lower edge portion of said plate is bent inwardly or rearwardly and u wardly to form' a hook 190 Iwhich extends under and behind a depending flange200 offset outwardly from a rail plate or strip 210 secured to the outer side of the'car. wall and sill '140. The offset portion of the stripy 210 extends below the door 17 0, and the hook' 190 in engaging under and behind the flange( 200 will guide the door and maintain its position adjacenttothe car wall.V .In order to support door 17 0 for free movement, should the door sag or Ythe upper hanger yield, rollers 211 are mounted for rotation within 'the lower edge portion of the door 170 within housin s 212, and said lrollers can roll on the oflg 210, thereby preventing the door from bin ing or catching 'on said rail strip.

A vertical metal strip or plate 240 is se cured to the outer side of the door post 160 and has a portion 250` bent outwardly at an angle to form a stopy for the door, against which the forward vertical side edge of the door 170 strikes when the door is slid to closed'position. rllhe portion 250 has aflange 260 bent at an angle tooverlap said portion of the door, and form a vertical groove or channel into which said portion of the door moves to hold the door against: the post 160 and to prevent leakage.

set portion of the stri 7b boards 171 of the outer layer running verti- A vertical Z-bar or stripV 310 is secured i to the opposite or rear vertical edge oftheVV vertical plate ory strip 340 is secured to the post 150 at the outer side thereoffagainst which the rear edgeportion of the door 17 0 bears when closed, and said plate 340 has tongues or keepers 35() projecting from that edge opposite :to the door opening to pass through openings 330 provided in the strip 31(1,sothat when the door is closed the strip 310 will move over the keepers 850, which project through the openings 330 in front of the flange 320.

In order to latch the door 170` in closed position and to clamp the rear edge portion thereof against the plate 340, vertically spaced latches 360 are provided. rihese latches 360 are disposed in front of the flange 320, and each latch 360 has alongitudinal slot 371 engaging a rivet or headed stud 370 secured to the flange 320, permitting, the latch to be slid longitudinally and swung in *ar plane parallel with and in front of the flange 320. Each latch 360 has a lug 880 extending outwardly yat an angle from one end, the slot 371 being near one end of the latch and the lug 380 at theY opposite end, and the studs 370 being so arranged as to be located below the keepers 350 when the door is closed, so that the latches 360 when swung upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 18, will move behind the keepers with the lugs 380 above such keepers, Doubled or U-shaped leaf springs 390 are secured to the latches 360, and such springs of the latches are located between the slots 371 and lugs 380, and are so arranged that when the latches are swung upwardly from depending position (from the full line to the dotted line position as seen in Fig. 1S) the springs 39() wedge between the flange 320 and keepers 350, as seen in Fig. 20. The free terminals of the springs bear against the keepers 3.50, and the springs being'compressed or the terminals thereof moved toward one another will create a rearward or inward pressure on the flange 320 to clamp the rear edge portion of the door tightly against the' plate 340 on the post 150. Each latch 360 also has an outstanding lug l400 at that end opposite to the lug 380, and the keepers 3.50 have upstanding lugs v420 to prevent the lugs 380 from sliding off said keepers. The latches 360 normally hang down loosely, and when the door 17 O is closed, said latches can be swung upwardly behind the keepers 350, the springs 390 being forced between said flange 320 and keepers 350, whereby to 1 clamp the rear edge portion of the door latches 360 are released by driving them upwardly, such as by striking the lugs 400 from below, which willv then permit the latches to be swung downwardly, the lugs 380 passing over the lugs 420. The door 170Y can then be slid open when otherwise free to slide. Each keeper 850 preferably has a screw hole 410 therein to receive a set screw for either retaining the latch in posif tion, or a wedge which can be driven down-y 440 are con The relief' or discharge door or closure Y 440 1s composed of the elongated sheet metal panel or cap 441 having its edge or flange overlapping and secured to a stiff rim member 442 of angular cross section. A frame member 490 is secured to the outer side of the door 170V around the opening 460, and is provided at its inner edge with an outstanding portion 491 having a flange 492 surrounding` and extending from the opening. The door 44() is adapted to be disposed loosely over and around the outstanding portion 491 with the panel 441 .bearing against the flange 492, and the rim member 442 bearingagainst the frame member 490. lf desired, the rim member 442 of the door 440 can be secured to the frame member 490 and door 170 by means of screws 443 when :an especially tight fit is desir-ed, although such securing means are not necessary for general purposes.

The door 440 is hingedly mounted on the main door 170 by means of depending straps 510 which are hinged7 as at 520, to the door 170 above the opening 460 and framemember r490. Said hinge straps extend across the panel 441 and are secured thereto by means of rivets 540 or other securing elements, whereby the door swings with said straps outwardly and upwardly to open position, and downwardly and inwardly to closed position against the door 170 around the portion 491 of the frame member 490. The intermediate hinge strap 510 has an extension '550 projecting belowl the door 440 to be secured to the door 170 below the opening 460, such as by means of a securing vscrew or bolt 550.

In order to assist in holding the door 440 closed, arms 511 are hinged, as at 521, to the door 170 below the opening 460 near the opposite ends of the door 440, so that said arms can be swung upwardly to ex-V upwardly and downwardly on the outer sideV of the main door 170, instead of being hinged, and, as shown, is composed of sheet metal, and has a stitfening bar 431 secured thereto on the outer side between its upper and lower edges. The auxiliary door 4.30 is elongated horizontally, and the stitlening bar 431 will strengthen it. VA horizontal weather strip 580 is secured to the door 170 above the upper opening 450 and is ollset outwardly, as at 590, and has a depending flange 600 behind which the upper edge ol' door is moved when raised to closed position, and said strip will shed rain, snow, cinders, and the like, over` the upper edge of the door 430 so they will not pass through the opening 450.

The door 480 is guided for'vertical movement by a pair of vertical. rail strips 610 secured to the outer side of the door 170 at.

the oppostie ends of the opening il5() and extending downwardly for the movement of the door 480 to a position down below said opening. T he strips 61() have the outstanding portions 611 across which the door 430 extends, and said portions have the flanges 612 bent to extend away Jfrom one another and away from the opening L150. rfhe ends of vertical edge portions of the door 430 are bent back into hooks 650 extending across and behind the flanges G12, whereby the door is retained in place for movement along the rail strips 610 as well as preventing the entrance of rain, snow, or the like.

A horizontal strip 620 is secured to the door 170 at the outer side below the openw ing 450 and has an outstanding portion 621 with a. depending flange G30, and the lower edge of the door 430 is bent back into a hook 660 to engage upwardly behind the flange 630, thereby also providing means for excluding the elements from the opening 150 when the door L30 is closed.

A hasp 670 is hinged to the door 430 to engage a keeper GSO carried by the door 170 above the weather strip 580, iior supinirting said door 430 in raised position. `titops 700 are carried by the door 7.7() to .limit the downward movement ot' the door 430 when it is lowered. y

lin order to prevent the doors i230 and el() from being opened, a pair oi vertical bars 720 and 730. ot channel form are hingedly mounted to swing'bctween tie upper and lower auxiliary doors with their ends below the lower edge or" the door 4150 and the lower ends ofthe bars overlapping the upper ends of the arms 511. Said bars 720 and 730 are secured to hinge straps 740, which are hinged at 750 to the door 170 adjacent to the side edges thereof, whereby said bars are swingable about vertical axes away from ane against the main door between the auxiliary doors. The bars 720 andV 730 are movable over the rail strips 610 and will support the upper door 430, to prevent the same from beingmoved downwardly to open position, and the bars in overlapping the arms 511 will' prevent the lower door ad() from being opened.

The main and auxiliary doors are hele closed under a single seal in a manner' closely resembling the latching' and sealing device hereinbelore described, including a horizontal latch bar 870 slidable in guides 880 on the outer side of the door 170 below the stops 700. Said latch has an offset terminal 890 to overlapthe bar 720 when the bar 870 is slid toward said bar 720. An arm 900 is pivoted within a. bearing 910 secured to the door 170 near the bai` 730, to swing across said bar. The arm 900 and bar 870 are made to simultaneously engage the bars 720 and 730 by the provision of gear teeth 920 on the pivoted end lof the arm 900 meshing with rack teeth 930 on the bar 870. Consequently, when the arm 900 is swung' away `from the bar 730, the bar 870 is slid away from the bar 720, and whenthe arm 900 is swung across the bar 730, the latch bar S is projected into engagement with the bar 720. A sealing hasp 94() is suitably connected to the tree end portion of the arm 900 to engage over a keeper 950 carried byv the car wall Abeyond the sto portion 250, for the reception of a seal, pa lock, or the like, to hold the doors closed against unwarranted entrance into the car tor purpose o theft.

ln usingthe door construction, the main and auxiliary doors are closed and secured, and released and opened, in substantially the same order as the doors 17, 4:3, and 441 hereinbefore described, with slight variations according to the changes or differences in construction, as will be apparent from the foregoing description. Y

Having thus describedV the invention, what is claimed as new 'is 1. A freight car door having upper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for said openings, a pair of bars supported from the car door for movement to be positioned between the auxiliary doors adjacentrto the opposite ends` thereof for holding the auxiliary doors closed and movable from between the auxiliary doors to permit them to be opened, and means for holding said bars when moved between the Y auxiliary doors. Y

2. A freight car door having upper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for saidk openings, a pair of bars carried by the car door to move from positions beyond the ends of said auxiliary doors to positions between the auxiliary doors for holding said doors closed, and means carried by the car f door for simultaneously engaging said bars for holding the doors closed.

8. A freight car door having upper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for said openings, vertical bars hinged to the car door to swing from positions beyond the opposite end portions of the auxiliary doors to positions between the auxiliary doors for holding the doors closed, and means carried by the car door for simultaneously engaging said bars for holding the doors closed.

4. A freight car door having upper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for said openings, vertical bars carried by the car door to hold the auxiliary doors closed, a sliding latch bar carried by the car door to engage one of said vertical bars, an arm pivotally connected to the car door to extend across the other vertical bar and adapted to be secured for holding the doors closed, and an operative connection between said latch bar and arm whereby they simultaneously engage and disengage the vertical bars.

5. A freight car door having upper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for said openings, the lower auxiliary door being hinged to swing open and the upper door slidable to open position, a bar carried by the car door to abut at its upper end the upper door for holding the upper door closed and the lower end portion of said bar being arranged for holding the lower door closed, and means for holding said bar.

6. A freight car door havingupper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for said openings, the lower auxiliary door being hinged to swing open and the upper auxiliary door being slidable open downwardly, a bar carried by the car door to move to a position between said auxiliary doors, whereby the upper end of the bar supports the upper auxiliary door and the lower end of the bar holds the lower auxiliary door closed and means for holding said bar between the auxiliary doors.

7. A freight car door having upper and lower openings, auxiliary doors for said' openings, bars hinged to the car door to swing about vertical axes at the opposite ends of the auxiliary doors for the movement of said bars toward and between the auxiliary doors and away from said auxiliary doors, the end portions of said bars being arranged to hold the auxiliary doors in closed position when said bars are swung between the auxiliary doors, and means carried by the car door for simultaneously engaging both of said bars when swung between the auxiliary doors.

8. A freight car door having an opening, an auxiliary door for said opening, va pair of bars hinged to the car door to swing from positions beyond the opposite ends of said auxiliary door to positions to hold said auxiliary door closed,a latch bar slidably carried by the car door to engage one of said bars, and an arm pivotally connected with the car door to extend across the other of thelirst named bars, said latch bar and arm having an operative connection whereby they simultaneously engage and disengage the first named bars.

V9. A freight car door construction comprising a door frame, a door mounted for sliding movement, and means for latching and clamping the door to the frame including a keeper carried by one of said parts and a latch carried by the other, said keeper and latch being movable relatively in one direction for engagement to clamp the door against the frame and being movable rela*- tively in another direction for latching the door to prevent it sliding open.

l0. A freight car door construction comprising a door frame, a door mounted for sliding movement, and means for latching and clamping the door toi the frame com prising a keeper carried by one of said parts and alatch connected to the other part for movement in different directions, the latch being engageable with the keeper by movement in one direction for clamping the doo-r aga-inst the frame and the latch being engageable with the keeper by move ment in another direction for latching the door closed.

ll. A freight car door construct-ion com-- prising a door frame, a door mounted for sliding movement, and' means for latching and clamping the door to the frame comprising a. keeper carried by one of said parts and a latch carried by the other part for swinging and sliding movements, said keeper and latch having cooperable portions to engage by the swinging and sliding movements of the latch, and said portions being so arranged that one movement of the latch into engagement with the keeper clamps the door against the frame and the other movement of the latch into engagement with the keeper latches the door closed.

12. A freight car door construction coinf prising a door frame, a dooi mounted for sliding movement, and means for latching and clamping the vdoor to the frame comprising a keeper carried by one of said parts and a latch carried by the other, the latch having a spring portion tol engage the keeper for pressing the door against the frame and the latch and keeper having portions to engage one another for latchin'g the door closed.

13. A freight car door construction coinprising a door frame, a door mounted Vfor sliding movement, and means for latching and clamping` the door to the frame includ ing a keeper carried by .one of said parts and a latch carried by the other part for 14e. A freight car door construction com-A prising a door frame, a door mounted for sliding movement, a keeper carried by the door frame extending-away from the door opening, av flange carried by the rear edge portion of the door to move behind said keeper when the door is closed, and a latch mounted on the outer side of said flange to move between said keeper and flange for clamping the door against the frame.

l5. A freight car door construction oomprising a door frame` aI door mounted for sliding movement, a keeper carried by the door frame extending away from the door opening, a flange carried by the rear edge portion of the door tol move behind said keeper when thedoor is closed, and a latch mounted on the outer side of said flangeV to move between said keeper and fiange for clamping the door against the frame, said keeper and latch having portions to engage one another for latching the door closed.

1G. A freight car door construction oomprising a door frame.A a door mounted for sliding movement, a keeper carried by the door frame and extending away from the door opening, a flange carried by the rear edge portion of the door to move behind said keeper when the door is closed, and means operable for exerting pressure .between the keeper and flange for pressing the door against the frame and to also latch the door in closed position.

17. A freight car dooi` construction com-v prising a door frame, a door mounted lfor sliding movement, a keeper carried by the door frame extending away from the door opening, a flange carried by the rear edge portion of the door extending away from the door opening and adapted to movelbehind said keeper when the door is closed, and means on the outer side of said flange to engage behind the keeper for pressing the door against the frame and to also engage the keeper for latching the door closed.

18. A freight car door construction comprising a door frame, a door mounted for sliding movement, a keeper carried by one of said parts, and a latch carried by the other part to engage the keeper when the door is in closed position, and spring means to be disposed between the latch and keeper for pressing the door against the frame.

19. A freight 'car door construction cornon'to be swung with,

prising a door frame, a door mounted 'for sliding movement, said frame and'door having portions to be brought'adjac'ent to Vone another in spaced relation when the door is f-losed and spring ,means movable between said portions in thespace between them for pressing-'the door againstV the frame andremovable from between said portions to release the ydoor from-the frame 'and to permit the door to be slid open. i f 20. A freight carfdoorfhavingan opening, auxiliary door for closing said opening, a railmembercarried by the' ear do-orifor lguiding the auxiliary door to 'and` from said opening, and means for shielding saidrail member and holding the auxiliary door' closed.` f

2l. A freight car door having an open-V ing, an auxiliarydoor tofclose said opening, a rail member carried by the car door for guiding the auxiliary door, and a men ber movable to shield said rail member and.

to abut the auxiliary door and hold it closed. l Y

22. A freight car door construction comprising a door frame, a door mounted .for

.sliding movement, a keeper carried bythe door frame, a flange carried by the door to move behind said keeper, and a latch member having a slidable and pivotal connection withsaidv flange, said member having a' spring to be swung with said member behind 'the keeper for pressing the door vgainst the frame, and said lmember and keeper having portions to engage one another by the sliding movement of the mem- .ber when swung behind said keeper.VA

23. A freight car door construction comprising a oar door having an opening, rail members carried by said door at opposite extremities vof said opening, an auxiliary door slidable on said rail members to and' from said opening, and means for retaining the ,auxiliary'door over said opening including channel bars to be disposed oversaid railmembers. 1

2 4, A freight car door construction comprising a car door having two openings` an auxiliary door for each of said openings, a rail member carried by the car door along which one auxiliary door is movable'to and from its opening, an arm carried by thevcar door to extend across the other auxiliary door, and a channel bar carried by the car door to move over said rail member and arm for holding both auxiliary doors closed.

neeted to the car door below the lower opening to swing aeros's the lower auxiliary door,

channel bars hinged tothe car door to swing between the auxiliary doors over said rail members and upper terminals of said arms for holding both `auxiliary door-s closed, and means for retaining said bars inl place,

' 26. A freight car door construction Comprising a freight Car door having two openings, an auxiliary door for each opening, one door being slidable toward the other to open position, an arm Carried by the Clar door to Y extend across the other auxiliary door, and a bar carried by the car door to be moved between the auxiliarydoors to abut at one end the iirst'named auxiliary door for holding said arm.

27. A freight car door comprising boards having their edges disposed close togetherspending edge portions of the boardsiorprotecting same.

In testimon7 whereof hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN L. GUERRANT.

vit closed and to overlap, at the otherl end, 

